


I Kissed You In a Style Clark Cable Would've Admired

by thehazelverse



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Filming, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:36:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6763657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehazelverse/pseuds/thehazelverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"I want so badly to believe that "there is truth,</i>
  <br/>
  <i>that love is real"</i>
  <br/>
  <i>and I want life in every word to the extent</i>
  <br/>
  <i>that it's absurd"</i>
</p><p>(for Ennoaka weekend 2016)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. distance / touch

**Author's Note:**

> woo!! It's finally ennoaka weekend!! :D I've been so excited to post this fic for ages and now I can!
> 
> The title and summary for this fic came from the song Clark Cable by the Postal Service, which a friend sent me and said it was very ennoaka. You can listen [here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWNFrwLWNPM)

Pulling his heavy suitcase behind him, Akaashi walks along the uneven pavement to the small bus stop at the end of the street- one of the many stops on the scenic route from the centre of Tokyo to the Miyagi prefecture. The only other people at the bus shelter are an old couple. They smile at him as the irritating sound of his suitcase wheels on concrete comes to a stop and he sits in the space next to them, waiting for the bus to arrive.

“Where ya heading to son?” Asks the old man after the three of them sit in silence for a few good minutes. Akaashi thinks the couple seems nice, so there’s no harm in starting up a conversation while he waits.

“I’m going to visit family,” he explains, trying to keep the details short. “A family wedding to be exact. My cousin is getting married.” The rest of his family had taken the car to his aunt and uncle's house during the week, and now that it was finally the weekend Akaashi was free from university lectures for a few days, so he could make his way to Miyagi and join them in the celebrations.

“How nice!” Says the old lady cheerfully. “We’re from Miyagi. Thought we’d take a short break to see some of Tokyo. It’s been a long time since we’ve visited here, hasn’t it, Hayato?”

“Oh yes,” says her husband. “It’s a lovely city you live in.”

At this point the bus is already turning the corner and pulling up to the stop. Akaashi moves aside to let the couple get on the bus first, a gesture of kindness which he finds only natural to do now.

Once he steps inside the bus, he places his suitcase in the space allocated at the front for luggage, then makes his way up the aisle to the first available seat he sees. Sadly, there’s no window seats free, so a space beside a stranger will have to do.

Not that he complains. The guy beside him seems pretty peaceful and is minding his own business. There’s also air conditioner inside the bus, which is like a soothing balm to Akaashi after walking in the hot afternoon sun. He sinks into his seat a little with a sigh and the bus finally starts to drive on. 

Usually when Akaashi travels somewhere he likes to put in his headphones and shut out the rest of the world, only looking at the scenery beside him as it moves by. Sometimes he watches the people in the other cars and tries to guess what kind of music they listen to. Other times, he just stares at nothing in particular and daydreams about things like volleyball or fictional lands from his favourite books.

He tries to do just that on this journey, but that’s proving to be a little difficult when the stranger sitting beside him is blocking his view. Not that the stranger looks bad or anything- Akaashi can appreciate a nice face when he sees one- but nothing is more awkward than when someone stares at you on public transport. 

Untangling his headphones from an irritating knot keeps him occupied for now- he swears they weren't in that condition when he put them in his bag this morning. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the stranger take some notes in what Akaashi presumes is a journal. His handwriting is pretty messy, but it's not any worse than Akaashi’s own. There's a doodle of a crow on one of the pages as he flicks through the journal, as well as some questionable storyboard sketches. The stranger flicks to the front of the journal, where Akaashi gets a quick glimpse of a name on the first page. Ennoshita Chikara.

Akaashi is too busy admiring the neat calligraphy of the name that he doesn't notice Ennoshita looking his way. A soft voice breaks him out of his day dreaming and he glances up to meet sleepy but intrigued looking eyes.

"I think I spent more time writing my name than I actually spent doing work on this project," he says, followed by a small chuckle. He flicks through the pages again to a much less interesting page of scribbled notes. "If you didn't notice already, the rest of my notes look like they were written in about two minutes, which isn't far off from the truth to be honest."

"Do you mind if I ask why?" says Akaashi.

"Why I left it all to the last minute? I uhh.. I just struggled to find inspiration, I guess. Or maybe it was motivation. Either way, I was scared of messing it all up somehow. I've made films before in high school, but it was all a bit of fun... Things get a bit more real when you have to work with strangers and everything is graded," Ennoshita sighs and twiddles the pen in his hands. He then shakes his head a little and laughs nervously. "Sorry. I don't want to whine about how my procrastination got me a B instead of an A in my first project at film school. You're probably wishing you hadn't asked anyway."

Akaashi tells him it's okay, but other than that, he's not sure how else to reply. Ennoshita looks smart enough to know a B isn't the end of the world, so it's not like he needs any reassurance. It seems that Ennoshita is done talking about himself anyway. Akaashi is surprised he can tell this already; maybe his observation skills are better than he thought.

So Akaashi does the only other logical option he can think of -one he never goes for- and he talks about himself instead. He tells Ennoshita about his own experience at university- how he thought he'd made the right choice with his course, but he’s starting to doubt himself now that he's losing interest in his classes. He moans about how uninspiring his lecturers are and that the only time he really enjoys himself anymore is during volleyball practice. This brings a surprising reaction from Ennoshita and the two of them forget about their troubles for a minute, discussing the sport they both love.

"What would you rather do?" Asks Ennoshita when their enthusiasm dies down to a comfortable silence. "Are there any other courses that interest you?"

Akaashi sighs, "Well, there is a photography course at my university, but I've not picked up my camera in a long time..."

Suddenly, he realises how much he actually misses taking pictures. Back when he was in high school, Bokuto always kept him inspired. When Bokuto wasn’t trying to get him to practice with him, he would try and persuade Akaashi to bring in his camera and take some action shots of the team. Bokuto made a good model, much to the team's surprise. He could never stay still enough for a regular picture, but no one could doubt how cool Bokuto looked when Akaashi took a picture of him slamming a ball over the net with his powerful straight spike.

“Well, it’s not too late to pick it back up again!” Ennoshita says with a surprising amount of enthusiasm, given how tired he looks. Something about this new acquaintance confuses Akaashi, yet makes him feel like he’s reunited with a long lost friend. It’s a nice feeling.

"Hey, I didn't get your name," says Ennoshita, looking at him with intrigued eyes.

"Akaashi Keiji," he replies. They shake hands and Akaashi is surprised at how strong Ennoshita's grip actually is. That's when he notices Ennoshita's toned arms, and he wishes it was colder in on the bus so Ennoshita would have to put a hoodie on. The summer heat won't be going away anytime soon though, so he'll have to try hard not to stare too much.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akaashi," says Ennoshita with a smile, completely oblivious to Akashi's inner struggle. "I'm Ennoshita, but you probably figured that out already." He briefly holds up his long forgotten notebook then puts it back on his lap.

“When you say it like that it makes me come off as nosey,” Akaashi says with a huff.

“Maybe you were,” teases Ennoshita, then suddenly his demeanor changes, as though he has suddenly become nervous. “Hey, would it be too early to ask for a favour?”

Akaashi looks at him quizzingly. “Depends what kind of favour.”

Ennoshita sighs a little and gestures in front of him.

“Well.. See those bags next to your suitcase at the front of the bus?” He says while Akaashi looks ahead. “That’s my stuff, and there’s some really expensive film equipment in those bags. Some of it isn’t even mine. My uncle actually let me borrow some lighting while I was away in Tokyo, just because the school has a shitty budget so there’s never enough equipment for everyone. Anyway, my point is I’m really tired.” He hesitates for a minute, looking at Akaashi like he’s trying to figure out a puzzle piece. “And I, uh.. I was wondering if you could watch my stuff while I take a nap?”

 _Oh._ Akaashi had been expecting a lot worse- maybe not something as extreme as a proposition to join a Yakuza, but more like a big favour like helping Ennoshita take the equipment home for him like a pack horse. He’d figured out it was only a simple request pretty quickly, but couldn’t help but find it cute how Ennoshita tentatively lead up to asking him.

“Sure,” is all he replies, making Ennoshita sigh with relief. 

“Oh, okay.” He sounds surprised. “At first I thought you weren't up for it because you had such a blank expression, but you must be just like me. People always say I look bored or tired all the time,” he puts a hand to his mouth and leans in. “And just between you and me, they’re not always wrong.”

Akaashi snorts, which earns him a smile from Ennoshita and then he starts to shuffle further down in his seat to get more comfortable. 

“Thanks very much for doing this. You don’t know how grateful I actually am. You’re getting off at the same stop as me right? Sendai?” When Akaashi nods, Ennoshita leans his head back on the seat and closes his eyes. “Cool. Could you just wake me up when we get there?”

Akaashi doesn’t even have time to reply before Ennoshita is out like a light. He must have been really tired to fall asleep that quickly. If it had been any other person on the bus who asked him to do this, he would have probably politely declined them. He wonders what makes Ennoshita different.

He puts on his earphones and plays his music on shuffle while keeping an eye on his suitcase and Ennoshita’s stuff. The sound of his music blocks out Ennoshita’s light snoring, but only a little bit. Akaashi finds it more cute than annoying- after all, he’s already put up with Bokuto and Komi’s loud snoring at training camps in High School. Nothing can be worse than that.

It just so happens that the second Ennoshita’s head slides down from the headrest on his seat to Akaashi’s shoulder, the song on his playlist changes to a romantic classical piece. 

The first notes hit the piano keys softly and Akaashi looks down at Ennoshita’s resting face, sleeping soundly and completely unaware of Akaashi frozen in place. He can’t move a muscle- not just because that would disturb his new friend, but also because he’s under a trance himself. 

He tries to blame the music. He really tries.

After a few moments, he realises how weird Akaashi must look to other people, as he’s been staring at Ennoshita sleeping on his shoulder for a while now, from the couple of flakes of dandruff in his hair, to the stray freckle on his left cheek bone. Akaashi faces the other way so he’s not tempted to take another look and tries to calm his mind down. Usually his playlist of calming music puts him at ease right away, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

He very slowly reaches for his bag on the ground and takes out a book to read, almost rousing Ennoshita from his sleep, but he just sighs a little and shuffles closer to Akaashi, who gulps, but ignores the beating in his chest and opens his book to where his bookmark is. 

They stay like this for the rest of the journey, until the bus rolls into Sendai and all the passengers start to get up out their seats. Akaashi gives Ennoshita a little shake. “Hey, we’re here now.”

“Huh?” Ennoshita opens his eyes blearily, then once he lifts his head from where it is on Akaashi’s shoulder, his eyes go wide and he’s completely awake. “Oh god, did I fall asleep on you, Akaashi? I’m sorry.”

Akaashi waves off Ennoshita’s apologies and gets out his seat to stand in the aisle and stretch his legs while no one is passing. “It’s okay, you looked pretty tired.” He says in reassurance.

“Ah. Thanks, I guess?” Ennoshita rubs the back of his neck shyly, then picks up his backpack and walks down the middle of the bus with Akaashi. They pick up their stuff -not without a little struggle for Ennoshita and all his equipment- and step off the bus onto the streets of Sendai.

They find a bench to put their stuff on while Ennoshita calls for a lift from his father and Akaashi calls his sister who brought the car to stay at their aunt's house. He’d been annoyed that she wouldn’t come and pick him up from Tokyo at first, but now that he looks at Ennoshita in the summer heat, he doesn’t mind too much any more.

“Do you think Naomi and Rin would mind if I brought a plus one to the wedding? Just, you know.. Theoretically.” He asks his sister on the phone. She laughs at his question.

“Don’t tell me you met someone on the bus, Keiji? Because I don’t think my heart can take something that cute.” She teases and Akaashi tries not to blush. “But I’m sure the family would love to meet your new _friend._ Myself included.”

“Can you just come and pick me up already?” He can feel his patience being tested, just like it always is when talking to his sister, so he says excuses himself before he loses his cool in front of Ennoshita. It looks like he’s been waiting for Akaashi to finish his call for a while as well.

“What was that about a wedding?” he asks and Akaashi explains to Ennoshita exactly why he was traveling to Sendai in the first place. They probably don’t know each other well enough for Akaashi to take such a step, but he asks anyway, knowing he’ll regret it if he doesn’t. 

“Would you like to come to the wedding as my plus one? It’s fine if you don’t and I don’t even know if my cousin will let me since it’s this weekend…”

“Well, how about we exchange numbers and if it turns out I can go, you can text me,” Ennoshita suggests and takes his phone out his pocket while Akaashi does the same. “I’m basically free all weekend anyway!” 

Their hands brush as they swap phones and Akaashi tries not to shiver at the contact. Not too long after, his sister arrives and he waves farewell to Ennoshita before putting his suitcase in the back and getting in the front seat.

The touch of Ennoshita still lingers on him; on his shoulder, on his knees where they bumped together occasionally on the bus, on his fingertips. He looks at the new contact on his phone and can’t stop the smile that forms on his lips. Once he gets a reply from his cousin, he’ll be able to talk to Ennoshita again.

Something tells him neither of them will be able to wait that long.


	2. dreams / magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my contribution to the dreams and magic prompts!! I've also introduced a few other characters as Ennoshita's filming crew and actors! I also sneaked in a semishira mention since that ship is gold :3

It starts off very surreal. All Ennoshita can tell is that he’s in an empty room with a tall ceiling, and he can't tell left from right with all the spinning that’s happening. There’s a bright glow to the room, like someone has shrunk the sun and dropped it inside.

He squints his eyes and tries to adjust them to the brightness. Eventually, the spinning stops and he feels a little more oriented. He still has no clue where he is though, or how he got here in the first place. Somewhere in the back of his mind are the answers to his questions- his brain is still a little hazy though.

There’s someone else in the room, but he can't even look in their direction because of the brightness, like they’re holding a camera and taking hundreds of pictures while using the flash. He covers his eyes with his hands to shield them from the flashes, and he wonders if this is what it’s like to be a celebrity, chased down by the paparazzi.

_I need to bring him back,_ a voice calls out, and it cuts the air with it’s sharp tone. Ennoshita dares to lower his hands again and look at the one he assumes is speaking. There’s still a white glow to the room, but it’s not as blinding as before and he can now look at the stranger more easily.

Only they’re not a stranger- he knows that face. How could he not associate that jet black hair and dark eyes with him? Those tentative, yet calm mannerisms- they all belong to Akaashi.

He calls out to him, but Akaashi doesn’t look his way. He tries again- _Akaashi, I’m over here!_ But still, Akaashi remains oblivious and looks into the distance at something Ennoshita can't see. Why can’t Akaashi see him?

He walks over, waving his arms and trying to get the other’s attention but it’s not working. When he reaches out to him, Ennoshita is shocked to find his hand goes right through Akaashi like a he’s made of air. A shiver runs down Akaashi’s spine, but other than that he remains unaware of Ennoshita’s presence, much to Ennoshita’s dismay. 

Akaashi starts to walk away while looking at his watch. Ennoshita yells out to him as loud as he can, but it’s not enough. The voice rings out again. _He’s not here,_ it says, breaking the silence. 

How strange- Ennoshita could've swore his own voice was audible.

There’s a camera on a strap around Akaashi’s neck, which he he picks up gently with those nimble fingers and holds up to his face. One bright flash like the ones from before fills the room, and Ennoshita has to close his eyes. When he opens them again, Akaashi is gone...

 

When he comes to, he does so peacefully. He doesn’t wake up with a start, or breathless like people do in the movies after having a strange dream. He rolls over so he’s lying on his other side and sighs. Akaashi had been in his dream again.

It’s become a normal routine for Ennoshita to take a note of his dreams right after he wakes up, so he does exactly that. He does admit that this dream was pretty scary for him, now that he thinks about it. It was like he was a ghost, or like he was stuck in some sort of limbo, watching Akaashi in the real world somehow. A few seconds pass and his pace of writing starts to get faster and faster to the point where his pen is denting into the next page. 

He feels like he’s reaching out for something good, but this time it’s within his sights. Something about his dream excites him as he replays the scenes in his head and translates it into his journal. A world where time travel is possible. Cool lighting effects. A courageous, yet down to earth protagonist with sharp features and soft hair. 

It’s perfect.

He sits in his bed scribbling down everything he can think of for what feels like hours, then quickly grabs some breakfast to fuel him for a few good hours of intense script planning. Once he’s finished, he knows the first thing he’ll do is text Akaashi. 

Maybe it’s time to admit to himself that he sees Akaashi as more than a friend.

***

Just two weeks later Ennoshita has called together a crew to their filming location in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. Script in hand, he helps his chosen actors run over lines one last time as the light and sound crew set up around them. The person cast as his protagonist -Shirabu’s boyfriend Semi, to be exact- asks Ennoshita about a particular part of the script, and Ennoshita goes over what sort of tone he wants Semi to convey in his acting.

He’s glad that Semi seems to be a good fit for the role and is keen to make his performance the best it can be, yet Ennoshita still wishes the true hero of his dreams was the one in front of the camera, and not behind it. One of the first things Ennoshita asked when he first discussed the script with Akaashi was if he had ever considered acting- a notion that Akaashi scoffed at. Ennoshita still hasn’t told him who the main characters are based off though, and he doubts he ever will.

At least he has Akaashi on board as his cameraman though. It took a little bit of persuading on Ennoshita’s part, but he likes to think that Akaashi would have said yes even if he wasn’t desperate for a cameraman to replace Moniwa.

He zones out of the discussion he’s having between Semi and his other lead actor, Kunimi, and looks over to where Akaashi is setting up the tripod with a little help from Yahaba. He’s frowning at the tripod like it’s done something to personally offend him, and Yahaba is giggling away while trying to figure out how to fix the camera onto it. Ennoshita sees Akaashi look his way and realises he’s been caught staring- Akaashi doesn’t seem to mind though and gives Ennoshita a tiny wave.

“Ennoshita? Hey, Ennoshita?” Semi lightly shakes Ennoshita’s shoulder when he doesn’t turn around. He almost jumps at the contact and spins around to apologise to his actors for spacing out. His face feels hot and he laughs nervously- Kunimi and Semi look a little suspicious, but don’t interrogate him. But then again, they’re not his close friends. If it had been the likes of Yahaba or Kinoshita who saw him looking at Akaashi there would have been a lot more teasing.

They go over a couple more lines from the script together, and then Ennoshita excuses himself to walk over and help Akaashi and Yahaba with the camera. Yahaba sighs with relief when Ennoshita takes the tripod out his hands and fiddles around with the screws on the top.

“Seriously Akaashi, he’s a pro when it comes to anything film-related. It’s kind of scary,” says Yahaba, as though he’s continuing a discussion that has already been going on between him and Akaashi. Ennoshita’s cheeks flush as he wonders Akaashi might have said about him. 

Akaashi nods. “I can see that. A creative mind too.” Compliments from his crush are still quite hard to comprehend -as are any compliments Ennoshita receives for that matter- but he takes them as they come, humbly and with a smile. 

It turns out the problem with the tripod is that the quick release lever is broken, so the camera won’t stay on properly. Ennoshita sighs. This will cause some problems and delay the time allocated for filming the scenes. Yahaba tries to make some protest about how it wasn’t him who broke it, but Ennoshita doesn’t mind if it was him. He just wants to fix it as soon as possible.

Without a word, Akaashi gets up from where he was sitting on the floor and walks away. Ennoshita watches as he rummages around in the duffel bag he brought with him and takes out a roll of duct tape. He takes it to Ennoshita, all with a slight smirk on his face. “Here, try this.”

Ennoshita doesn’t need to be told twice. He gets Akaashi to hold the camera steady while he starts wrapping the device and tripod in generous amounts of tape. It’s not the safest structure for a fifty five thousand yen camera, but it’s better than nothing, and Ennoshita knows Akaashi will take good care of it.

“This is magic!” he says excitedly as he holds the duct tape in his hands like it’s made of starlight. “Akaashi, You’re a genius! seriously, I could kiss you right now!”

It takes a couple of seconds for his words to sink in, and when they do, he can’t look Akaashi in the eye because of his embarrassment. 

“Well, why don't you?” says Yahaba mischievously, making Ennoshita go red in the face and gawp like a fish out of water.

Akaashi laughs, but the tips of his ears and his neck are red from blushing too. “Come on Chikara, just one small peck on the cheek won’t hurt, right?” He says jokingly, but his voice sounds uncharacteristically small, as though he’s nervous.

In a rush of adrenaline, Ennoshita takes the opportunity while it's there and cups Akaashi’s cheeks in his hands, leaning in to kiss the space between his fingers and Akaashi’s eye. He hears Akaashi’s gasp and Yahaba’s _“holy shit he actually did it,”_ but the only sound that’s going on in his head is sirens- kind of like the ones from the movie Kill Bill, only he’s not in a bright yellow spandex suit about to murder someone in cold blood. Damn his brain for thinking up silly movie references all the time!

He pulls back and looks at Akaashi’s shocked face, and tries to think of a way to act casual; to brush it off as though nothing happened. “Don’t look so surprised Akaashi, you asked for it.” he says with a laugh, but it sounds fake to his own ears.

Akaashi seems to shake away whatever thoughts are running through his brain and laughs with Ennoshita. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

There’s an awkward tension in the air, and things only get worse when Yahaba coughs and excuses himself to help Kinoshita with set design, but not before giving Ennoshita a cheeky wink. If Yahaba has figured out his crush, it’s only a matter of time before the whole world knows. Ennoshita will have to beg him to keep it a secret later on.

“Guess it’s just you and me now, huh?” says Ennoshita to break the silence- probably not the best thing to say, but it’s something. Akaashi replies with only a nod and moves to the camera. Ennoshita wonders if Akaashi feels the awkward tension between them too, or if he’s overthinking things again. Akaashi doesn’t look too bothered anymore. 

Maybe he thought nothing of it in the first place and Ennoshita’s feelings are one sided after all… No, he can’t think pessimistically like that! There's still hope.

Akaashi switches the camera on carefully so he doesn’t mess up the makeshift tripod setup, then looks at Ennoshita nervously. “So uh, you’re gonna have to guide me through a lot of this. Photography is where my strengths lie- not filming.”

“Of course I will Akaashi, but you don’t need to worry- You’ll be amazing at this!” Ennoshita claps him on the back and opens up his copy of the script, which they’ve already both made little notes on while discussing the film together. He flicks to the scene they’re filming today and lays it down on the fold up table right beside all the filming equipment. “We still have time to go over this if you want? And I’ll be directing you the whole time, so it’s not like you’re on your own here. No one expects you to be perfect at this- especially since it’s your first go.”

It seems that Ennoshita’s words soothe Akaashi’s nerves, and he thanks Ennoshita for being understanding. They look over the script while the rest of the crew make the final preparations and test the lighting. Everything looks good on the camera’s screen. All that’s left is for the actors to get in place and for Ennoshita to make the call for action.

This is his favourite part. It’s like being on the court at Nationals, where all the hard work leads up to the final moment: the whistle blow for the start of the game is replaced with his voice calling out “Action!” the movement of all the players on the court is replaced with his lead actor moving around the set theatrically; the sound of the ball hitting the ground is him ending the scene with a “Cut!” Making films is like a game- one that he can control.

He makes the call and Kunimi’s expression suddenly changes from a look of boredom to one Ennoshita can only describe as perfect for the scene. It’s amazing how Kunimi can portray the confusion and unsteadiness Ennoshita felt in his dream. He makes a few mistakes here and there, but Kunimi delivers the performance of Ennoshita’s dreams- literally.

With Futakuchi creating some interesting lighting effects for the scene and Akaashi capturing it all on camera, Ennoshita starts to really feel the pieces coming together- a feeling that usually only comes along once editing starts- at least that was the case with all his previous projects.

Semi does a brilliant job of portraying Akaashi ( _Youta,_ he reminds himself. _Not Akaashi),_ the mysterious time traveller with magic powers. The plot he has created from his dream is a little complicated, but not enough to confuse people. Using all his techniques and tips from classes, Ennoshita came up with a plotline in which the time traveler goes back to save his friend from a murder, while said friend watches from the afterlife. 

Akaashi had been skeptical at first. _“Murder mysteries can be very cliched. Do you think you can pull this one off?”_ But Ennoshita would prove to Akaashi he could do it, and while he patiently waited for Akaashi to turn the final page of the script, he knew the smile on Akaashi’s face meant he’d succeeded.

“And cut! That was the best one yet Semi, you did an amazing job today! You too Kunimi,” praises Ennoshita when all the scenes in the warehouse are complete. “Okay, I think that’ll be it for today. We got a lot of brilliant shots, and that’s all down to your hard work.. I can’t thank you all enough for helping me with this project- it means the world to me, so.. Thank you.” 

He bows in thanks, to which the rest of his crew reply to with a bow of their own and words of gratitude for being the kindest and most understanding director to work with. He starts tearing up and Futakuchi tells him to save the waterworks for when the film is actually finished.

Once everything is packed up, Ennoshita heads to Akaashi’s flat for dinner to relax after hours on set and to start uploading everything filmed to Ennoshita’s laptop. They’ll watch over all the takes, pick out the best ones, then Ennoshita will get some help in editing it all together from his tutors and some internet tutorials once all the scenes are filmed. He sighs heavily at the thought of how much they still need to do.

“Wow Ennoshita, that was a sigh and a half… Are you okay?” asks Akaashi as he walks to the sofa after answering doorbell for their take out. Ennoshita shrugs nonchalantly and opens up the box of food on the coffee table. “Just exhausted from today,” he replies. “I feel like I could melt into this sofa.”

“Well, I’m afraid you can’t nap yet sleepyhead.” teases Akaashi and Ennoshita realises all the awkwardness from his kiss on the cheek slip up has gone. Not too close, and not too far away, Akaashi sits next to him on the sofa munching away at the food he ordered. A bit of rice sticks to the side of mouth, and Ennoshita treads the dangerous waters of his mind, where he brushes the grain of rice off slowly with his thumb, leaning closer to the point their noses are touching. Only a few milliseconds left to a kiss meant for hollywood screens. It’s then that it really hits Ennoshita how much he likes Akaashi- how much he wants to ruin their friendship.

It’s just too much of a risk.


	3. fate / choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa here it is!!! the last chapter!! :D this was really fun to write and I'm glad I got it all done in time for ennoaka weekend! <3 I hope you enjoy!
> 
> The vine Futakuchi references is [this one!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVgOmDpsFGU)
> 
> (a big thanks to Charlotte for looking over the three chapters <33)

It turns out that Akaashi gets to wear the fancy suit he bought for his cousin's wedding a second time, as Ennoshita’s film gets nominated for an award at his film school’s end of year ceremony. Akaashi gets invited, along with all the cast and crew, so himself, Ennoshita, Yahaba and Futakuchi all take a taxi together to the venue. Anyone who knew them well would say it was a recipe for disaster.

“Kenji, stop,” hisses Yahaba as Futakuchi picks up a pair of abandoned sunglasses from the floor of the taxi and puts them on. “We’re in a _taxi,_ there’s no sun! And they’re not yours anyway, put them back.”

“Oh well I’m _sorry,_ Yahaba,” he replies in a tone that makes it clear he’s not sorry at all. “I’m just trying to mmm block out the haters.”

Yahaba groans like he’s in pain and mutters a bunch of curse words. Futakuchi grins smugly. “I swear to god if we weren't in a public vehicle, I’d be throwing those sunglasses out the window, then I’d chuck you out with them,” Yahaba snaps.

“Good thing we’re in a public vehicle then, eh?” Futakuchi leans back in his seat and puts his hands behind his head as though he’s sunbathing.

It’s times like this when Akaashi takes a step back from the conversation and just observes the shenanigans. He doesn’t laugh out out loud, but in his head he’s chuckling away to himself. As always, Ennoshita looks his way to roll his eyes at Yahaba and Futakuchi’s shenanigans, then continues to bring the conversation back to a calmer vibe. 

Ennoshita is pretty good at doing that; he’s the one that really keeps them together as a friendship group, and Akaashi kind of envies his social skills. If the amount of people he has volunteering to help him in all his film projects isn’t proof enough, then what else is…

The taxi stops not too long after and the driver tells them the fare which Ennoshita pays for, saying they can all make it up to him by buying him a drink at the after party. When they step out the vehicle and see the small red carpet leading to the venue’s entrance, Akaashi realises how big a deal this award actually is and feels a swell of pride for Ennoshita and all his hard work. He’s proud of the whole team -including himself- but no one deserves this more than Ennoshita.

“Over here!” Calls some of their friends when they enter the theatre where the awards will be given out. They clap Ennoshita on the back and wish him luck, then take their seats as the lights start to dim.

The host goes through the awards one by one, so agonisingly slowly that Akaashi starts to fold and tear up his program, just to give his hands something to do. He's not nervous, he tells himself. Why should he be nervous?

Ennoshita chuckles softly beside him. “I hope you’re not leaving that on the floor for the cleaners to pick up”

“Do you really think I’m that heartless?” He retorts jokingly, but drops some shreds of paper and curses under his breath. Ennoshita stops him from picking them up. “Don’t bother. We’re next.”

Akaashi looks to the stage to see ‘Best Freshman Film’ written on the large projector screen. They’re not up for the main award since no first year students are allowed to be nominated. The freshman award is still a huge deal though, since most of the winning directors then go on to win best film in their final year. This is Ennoshita’s chance to prove himself.

“We’ve had some really strong contenders out of our freshman this year, so let's look at the nominations.”

When the host reads out the five nominated films -their own film ‘Light’ among them- Ennoshita grips onto Akaashi’s arm and wrinkles his suit. The rest of the team bite their nails in anticipation, waiting for the host to open the envelope and reveal the winner. Akaashi holds his breath as the host reads out the card.

“And the winner is… Light.”

Before Akaashi can react, Ennoshita is dragging him out his seat with the rest of the team and has his arms around him, almost knocking Akaashi to the ground in surprise.

“We won, Akaashi! We won!”

He hugs back, a sense of pride making his heart soar. He doesn’t even care that they’ve been hugging for longer than necessary and he now has his head tucked in Ennoshita’s neck, his lips dangerously close to Ennoshita’s skin. 

But the spell is broken as Futakuchi taps him on the shoulder, grinning at both of them and giving out hugs of his own. Akaashi doesn’t miss Yahaba behind him saying, “Oblivious as ever.” 

Luckily, there are only two more awards to be given after their own. It all goes by in a flash, the adrenalin from winning making time pass quickly. The doors open for all the guests to go to the after party in the bar downstairs. Ennoshita flashes him a grin as they file towards the exit, and that’s when Akaashi realises just how tough it’s going to be to stay around Ennoshita tonight without going insane from that smile, or that cute blush or…

Shit, he has it bad.

At the bar he tries to keep his distance, looking for other friends elsewhere to chat with. But when he sees Ennoshita across the room looking around like a lost puppy despite being in other friends company, he can’t help but spring back to him like a boomerang. He wants to care less, wants to keep away for the sake of his heart, but he just loves Ennoshita too much to save himself the possible heartbreak.

If they’ve already had one win tonight though, then maybe there was a chance of another.

Akaashi shakes away the thought and leaves to get some fresh air when Ennoshita is occupied elsewhere. He walks over the decking at the back of the venue and looks at the beautiful garden. There’s two fireflies gliding around on the grass, almost mirroring the dancing of a couple moving to the music behind him. He takes a sip of his drink and sighs contently, enjoying the moment of serenity while it lasts.

“Wow, it’s lovely out here,” breathes Ennoshita a little while later as he walks to the spot beside Akaashi. He’s had enough time to cool his thoughts, so now Ennoshita’s presence is a joy to Akaashi like it usually is- like it always should be.

“You know, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work on this film with,” says Ennoshita, to which Akaashi nods in agreement. He feels the same way, but lets Ennoshita finish what he has to say. “I couldn’t have asked for a better camera man. A better friend.”

“You were a pretty fine director yourself.” smirks Akaashi, ignoring the slight pain in his chest at the ‘friend’ comment. Of course Ennoshita considers him a friend- but Akaashi still entertains that small hope for more.

The euphoria of their win still glows strong in Akaashi’s heart (but then again, that might just be the champagne) and when he looks at Ennoshita beside him, the feeling only becomes stronger.

Fate has given him the perfect opportunity. He knows how much of a hopeless romantic Ennoshita is deep down- he’d love a really sappy confession right here, with the jazz band playing in the background and the fairy lights hanging along the railing of the decking, illuminating the shrubs in the garden below. That’s how Akaashi _wants_ to confess his feelings to him. Just a simple “I like you,” to which Ennoshita would reply--

That’s where the scene in his head cuts to a stop. How is he supposed to know what Ennoshita will say back? So instead he drinks the rest of his champagne and excuses himself to go to the restroom. When he’s out of view from Ennoshita, he shakes his head at his own cowardliness. 

Maybe tonight isn’t the fated night after all. Tomorrow night, he decides. Tomorrow night for sure.

***

On the taxi ride home, with a dozing Ennoshita at his side -reminding him fondly of their first meeting- Akaashi changes his mind about waiting for that “fated” moment. If he wants to be more with Ennoshita, he needs to take risks. He needs to _choose_ the right moment.

The taxi rolls up to Akaashi’s flat and Ennoshita opens his eyes blearily. “We’re here already?”

Akaashi hums in affirmation, then pays for the taxi fare before Ennoshita can say otherwise. They’re both a bit wobbly on their legs when stepping out the cab. Akaashi admits to himself that the free champagne might be half the reason he’s building up the courage to confess tonight.

He unlocks the front door and stands aside to let his guest in first. A futon is already set out for Ennoshita, since the two of them had already made plans to share a quick ride home together to save money and time. Neither of them bother turning on a light.

 _One more minute,_ Akaashi tells himself before the three most important words on his mind spill from his lips. It’s hard, though. All he can do while removing his suit jacket is watch the moonlight cast shadows along the folds of Ennoshita’s now wrinkled shirt. His eyes can’t look away from Ennoshita’s hands as they pull at his tie, unraveling it slowly from the knot around his neck. Akaashi has never been jealous of a tie before.

Shaking his head, he turns back around to hang his jacket up in the wardrobe. He pauses, thinking about the situation again- how they’re sharing a room, and how Ennoshita is still undressing right across from him. Akaashi dares to take another look and almost jumps when he sees Ennoshita with all his shirt buttons undone, looking straight at him.

“S-sorry,” stutters Akaashi and looks anywhere but into those brown eyes. Ennoshita looks wide awake now and is blushing like crazy- a complete change to his tipsy and tired state from only moments ago.

“No it’s okay..” says Ennoshita in a nervous tone. “I shouldn't have started stripping out of nowhere.”

“No it’s not that.. I uh.. I shouldn’t have looked.” He turns away from Ennoshita, but the sound of footsteps on the wood floor warn Akaashi of the distance closing in between them. He should stay back, before Akaashi skips the talking and goes straight for a kiss. 

“You look really tense, Keiji,” says Ennoshita. The way he says Akaashi’s name doesn’t make things any easier. He can’t look at him now- hell, he can’t even remove his tie without his hands shaking, so he just gives up and leaves it loose. Ennoshita clears his throat.

“Look, if it makes you this uncomfortable, I’m sorry... I let myself get carried away with my feelings,” Ennoshita sighs, sounding almost like he’s on the verge of crying. “but I can’t lose you. I’ll figure out a way for us to be just friends again.. Somehow.”

“But what if I don't want that,” whispers Akaashi in the darkness, then spins around to face Ennoshita, their faces extremely close. 

Fate or choice, he doesn’t care. All he knows is that he wants to feel those soft lips against his own, so he leans in, and all the confusion, nerves and every other bad feeling melt away.

At first Ennoshita doesn’t kiss back, but then he suddenly grips softly onto Akaashi’s shoulder and deepens the kiss a little. It’s more than Akaashi could've wished for. He starts to pull away to say something, but Ennoshita grabs onto his tie and pulls him back in so their lips crash together once more. 

Without even thinking about what he’s doing, Akaashi’s hands slide past Ennoshita’s unbuttoned shirt to settle on his waist, only Ennoshita jumps back with a yelp. _“Cold hands!”_ He’s laughing, much to Akaashi’s relief.

The two of them giggle away for a while until Ennoshita sighs and rests his forehead on Akaashi’s. “Please tell me that was all real.”

He attacks Ennoshita by putting his cold hands on his waist again. “You’re not dreaming, Chikara.” he murmurs as they stumble and fall down on the bed. Akaashi gently sweeps back Ennoshita’s fringe and looks into his eyes. They shine in the moonlight. Akaashi wonders if it’s him that's dreaming.

Neither of them say a thing about the fact that Akaashi is on top of Ennoshita, or that both of them are crying a little. All Ennoshita does is kiss the corner of Akaashi’s mouth, then the other side, then his nose, then back to his lips. “I can _kiss_ you now.” he whispers, then repeats it as if he’s made a new discovery. “I can kiss you now!”

Akaashi laughs, then kisses Ennoshita back. It’s not a kiss made for movie screens, but it’s something better. It’s one that’s real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can confirm that Ennoshita gets the courage to tell Akaashi a day later that their movie was based on a dream about them. Akaashi is shocked at first but then starts to tease Ennoshita for days <3
> 
> And comment/feedback would be amazing!!


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